20 Transactions of the 



and 104° above zero August 29 and 30. These extremes were respectively 

 8° lower and 1° higher than any indications of former years. Mean temper- 

 ature at 7 A. M., 46.15^; at 2 p. m., 61.80"; at 9 p. m., 50.18^ 



Mean temperature of the winter mouths, 26.75° (2.46° below the average) ; 

 of the spring, 52.10° (1.62° below the average) ; of the summer, 78.06° 

 (2° above the average); of the autumn, 53.37° (1.28° above the average). 



The coldest month of the year, also the coldest month on our record, was 

 January, wnth mean temperature 18.61° ; the coldest week was January 

 23-29, mean temperature only 2.60° above zero; the coldest day was January 



28, with mean temperature 13° below zero. The night of January 28-29 was 

 excessively cold, the mean of seven observations taken at intervals during 

 the night being 22.5° below zero. 



The hottest month of the year was August, with mean temperature 79.38° ; 

 the hottest w-eek was August 25-31, mean temperature 86.34°; the hottest 

 day was August 30, mean temperature 89.3°. 



The mercury fell below zero on nine days — January 9, 10, 17, 18, 24, 28, 



29, and February 1 and 2. 



There were 48 days on which the mercury reached or exceeded 90°, viz.: 

 9 in June, 12 in July, 24 in August, and 3 in September. The mercury 

 reached or exceeded 100° on 10 days, all of which were in August. Seven 

 of these days were consecutive, the last seven days of the month, this con- 

 tinuation of intense heat being unprecedented since the record began. 



The last frost of spring w^as April 25, this being a severe frost. The first 

 light frost of autumn was September 8, giving a period of 136 days entirely 

 without frost. The first severe frost of autumn was delayed until October 

 23, making the period of absence from severe frost 181 days. The excessive 

 cold of the winter killed nearly every peach bud in Douglas county and a 

 large proportion of peach trees over four or five years old. The severe frost 

 of April 25 killed some pear, cherry and plum buds which were just coming 

 into blossom, but left enough buds uninjured to secure an abundant crop. 



RAIN. 



The entire amount of rain, including melted snow, was 32.94 inches, which 

 exceeds the rainfiill of 1872 by 0.31 inch, but is less than the average rainfall 

 of the five preceding years by 1.69 inches. Either rain or snow fell on 101 

 days — two less than the average number. The longest interval without rain 

 during the growing season, March 1 to October 1, was twelve days, from 

 July 18 to 29. The number of thunder showers was only 17; in 1872 there 

 were 40. There was a marked peculiarity in the distribution of rain this 

 year, giving a great excess to April, May and December, and a great deficiency 

 to July and August. This irregularity of distribution resulted in an excep- 

 tionally abundant harvest of wheat and early i:)otatoes, and a light yield of 

 corn and late potatoes. 



SNOW. 



The entire depth of snow Avas 262 inches, distributed as follows : January, 16 



